June 30, 2010

Hmm. Yeah. Thanks for reminding me of that incident. I would be curious to see what was said about me then. Was there jubilation that this video clip could be used to attack me? A plan to pick a spin and stick to it? An agreement to deprive me of links forever and ever? I'd like to know. I mean, I can imagine it on my own, but it would be fascinating to have the transcript.

I need more text! The internet is withholding the texts I want to blog. And I know those texts are longing to be free.

The expression is first recorded as pronounced by Stewart Brand at the first Hackers' Conference in 1984, in the following context:

On the one hand information wants to be expensive, because it's so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free, because the cost of getting it out is getting lower and lower all the time. So you have these two fighting against each other.

Ah, but now that Andrew Breitbart is offering $100,000 for the full Journolist archive, the paradoxical desire of information can finally be fulfilled! It can be both free and expensive!

Maybe Breitbart can get those two dipshits to dress up in computer repairman costumes and get inside the WaPo server room. Why does he have to rely on the enemy to get his exclusive, I thought he was a genius?

On the subject of information's value, the overall perception of information's value has changed radically with the Internet. Sully had a post relating the fact that the search (as it used to be) was as valuable as the information being searched for.

As an ADD housekeeper, I tend to agree. I clean by noticing something on the way to do another thing. It actually works well.

When looking for information that is not readily at hand, you find other information that you either weren't looking for or didn't think was that interesting at first glance. Libraries were/are a great place to get lost for that very reason.

With search engines, you wind up zeroing right into the info you were looking for, and consequently don't have the enjoyable distraction of seeing other titles in the library stacks that are as valuable as what you were looking for.

Browsing - which is a different activity - is not as valuable as sifting, but can yield many of the same results.

Garage is a perfect example of the derangement of liberals now that Fox and Breitbart and Drudge have come on the scene and are gradually gaining ground in a realm that was totally run by the left.

I doubt garage was as incensed over Dan Rather and CBS manufacturing a story to effect a presidential election. I mean the real crime are a couple of 20 somethings who exposed ACORN as teh fraud that it is.

Nope, lets not let the MSM actually delve into who Obama is, what his qualifications are to lead the country, instead lets focus everything on Sarah Palin and whether or not she actually gave birth to Trig.

Were you not critcal of the Harvard law student who published an email that the sender had every expectation would be kept private?

How would publishing the Journolist emails be any different?

Again it is amazing that no one can tell the difference between a group of people exchanging emails on various topics and a select group of left leaning journalists and DC policy makers exchanging ideas.

Seriously do liberals not see a conflict in that? No? Are you guys that immersed in your own infallibility? Are you at least willing to admit that the MSM has a left leaning bias and reports in such a manner?

Yup Moose, that's the typical Sully tantrum. And of course he deliberately obscures the issue to preserve his precious "angry teabaggers" meme. All of those crises he wants us worrying about are directly reliant on the success of people like Breitbart. We can't deal with the economy when everyone who questions going trillions of dollars deeper into debt is called a racist. And that's exactly the kind of civic ignorance that the Journolist promulgates. Ditto, we can't expect a nation to be fully engaged in the war when the Dept. of Homeland Security is hunting for people unhappy with healthcare.

He's a devious little punk, but he's rapidly reaching the level of obscurity he deserves, so I don't worry much about his little outbursts.

Interesting exchange (in the '07 post). It's striking who fleeting the commenters are. I saw only a smattering of folks who still comment at Althouse today. More than emblematic of our political discourse.

"Information wants to be free", but the people who possess it intend to keep it imprisoned.

Knowledge is power.

Ann Althouse said...

Was there jubilation that this video clip could be used to attack me? A plan to pick a spin and stick to it? An agreement to deprive me of links forever and ever? I'd like to know. I mean, I can imagine it on my own, but it would be fascinating to have the transcript.

Actually, Ann, that's the whole idea. If you (theoretical you) had the chance to know how badly you were being had, wouldn't most politicians and their various running dogs do anything they could to keep it from you?

Hoosier Daddy said...

Why does he have to rely on the enemy to get his exclusive, I thought he was a genius?

Oh garage! Better to turn an insider than risk sacrificing one of your own. That's not genius, that's common sense.

Damn son, never read a spy novel?

Novel, Hell, that's how it's done in real life.

PS Star Trek X: The Wrath of Althouse. Nothing in the galaxy can withstand her!!

Nope, lets not let the MSM actually delve into who Obama is, what his qualifications are to lead the country, instead lets focus everything on Sarah Palin and whether or not she actually gave birth to Trig.

Nobody in the MSM has ever dug into Sarah Palin's life that I'm aware of. She doesn't do interviews outside FOX, and those can hardly be called interviews, she's never has done a live Q&A. Whatever she puts up on her stupid Facebook page gets reported as "news". No idea what you're even talking about.

The up and coming Tea Party candidates are literally running from the press, afraid they might have to actually explain their goofball positions. The GOP's only answers to anything are drug test the unemployed, and raise the retirement age to 70, and cut taxes for the rich. They have zero to offer, and they haven't talked about actual polices for years. It's amazing to me that they could win any election, anywhere.

Dave Weigel is not unemployed. (Whether he's underemployed, I mean financially speaking, would depend on what he's getting paid for his new MSNBC gig and how his interviews with other media companies pan out.)

Nobody in the MSM has ever dug into Sarah Palin's life that I'm aware of.

What a stinker! Palin has to deal with a stalker in her back yard. That crazy fag at the Atlantic is obsessed with her uterus!

The up and coming Tea Party candidates are literally running from the press, afraid they might have to actually explain their goofball positions.

I don't have any trouble understanding their positions. Runaway taxation and government spending... ruinous! This frivolous issue was only one of the most important issues in the founding of our republic. Thus, they harken back to the Boston Tea Party... and taxation without representation.

The up and coming Tea Party candidates are literally running from the press, afraid they might have to actually explain their goofball positions.

Get ready for some amazement. The incompetence of the Obama administration will undoubtedly be repudiated in the November elections. The wild spending and runaway taxation strangling the economy will be the issue.

President Reagan's policies are the only way out. Reduce the size of government, decrease taxation. This actually increases tax revenues by increasing business activity. It worked.

Obama's tactics of runaway spending and limitless taxation are killing the economic recovery.

You're going to get hemerroids pulling things out of your arse like that.

and raise the retirement age to 70,

Well hell garage it's already 67 and SSN is insolvent in less than a decade. What's your solution? Oh wait, let me guess, take more of my earnings. Oh and thanks for demonstrating the liberal position that we all need to depend on Social Security for retirement.

and cut taxes for the rich.

Oh yes its only the rich whose taxes are cut. Do you really have anything other than the standard lefty talking point?

They have zero o offer,

What the hell has your party offered garage? I mean other than doubling down on more government borrowing and spending? What else garage other than more taxes and more spending are Dems offering? How about you actually be serious for a change and tell me how much money I should hand over to the government out of my earnings? I would really like an answer to how much

It's amazing to me that they could win any election, anywhere.

Maybe because you're so delusional in your ideology you fail to understand that we as a nation are broke. Broke. Between the debt and the unfunded liabilities of Medicare and SSN we are in the hole for over $70 trillion dollars and all your side can offer is...oh yeah, lets spend even more.

To be blunt, considering how blinded you are to liberal ideology, your lack of awareness isn't surprising.

Feel free to list all the members of the MSM who have dug into Sarah Palin's life. Who? What was the toughest question asked of her by a member of the MSM? You can't do it, because you would be embarrassed [or should be] to detail it.

"The GOP's only answers to anything are drug test the unemployed, and raise the retirement age to 70, and cut taxes for the rich. They have zero to offer, and they haven't talked about actual polices for years. It's amazing to me that they could win any election, anywhere."

What's amazing is just how rampantly fucking ignorant and partisan you are. Your bullshit is so demonstrably false, on so many levels, that it boggles the mind how you can reach new lows every day. It looked like you were distancing yourself from your moonbatshit crazy episodes you used to vomit here, but here you've gone right back to the vapid, vacuous, and any other cool v-word with a negative connotation that applies.

President Reagan's policies produced a 30 years of economic prosperity.

Worked out very well.

I'm hoping that Palin is a Reagan Republican. If she is (and I don't know that yet), I'll vote for her.

For a worker making $70,000 to $100,000, the total tax bite in New York State (fed, state, FICA) approaches 30%. Sales tax is about 8%. This means an effective tax rate that approaches 50%.

Obama has a slew of new taxes coming out in January of 2011. Businesses are refusing to invest in new jobs because of the coming tsunami of taxes and health care expenses.

In New Jersey, the weight of taxation is depressing the economy so severely that tax revenues are falling dangerously. Many towns are broke.

The effect of over-taxation is to depress the private sector. It's happening now. The failure of the economy to recover from depression is the result of Obama's tactics of runaway spending and excessive taxation and regulation.

Moose: You did get a bit wrought up about the whole breast thing - and not in a good way

Actually no, it was Amanda who got her panties in a wad over it, all because Ann noted the "feminist" was dressed and posed as a Monica-wanna-be at a meeting where lefty bloggers supplicated themselves before Clinton.

Garage: The majority of media went into attack mode w/r/t Palin from the git-go. In my view, "vetting" was not the goal. There was an ENORMOUS lack of good faith, in my judgment (and I'm not at all a reflexive MSM basher, though I'm well aware of its flaws, believe you me). It was, and is, one of the worst examples of that I've ever seen, and I found it personally offensive to my sense of ethics and conception of good journalism. And the process of that jump to judgment and attack, so much ill-will was built up that it became, and remains, extremely difficult to get back to where fair and successful reporting could be accomplished.

Do I like that Palin won't participate in open press conferences? No. Do I think politicians, would-be politicians and people with her type of influence ought to participate in them, and that it would serve the people and our republic better if they did? Yes. However, the fact I remains that I can't blame Palin very much for not cooperating with most journalists. I more blame national journalists for their lack of professionalism in covering her from the beginning. Sometimes "you reap as you sow." And DON'T reap due to what you sowed.

I think what would have been useful in re: Palin, was a set of ETHICS investigations...we would've learned boat loads about her AND if we had sent reporters to Wasila and Juneau to ask all her neighbors and look thru the trash....Oh WAIT Never Mind

Instead people obsessed about the crease in her pants, or how toned her arms were....

And do NOT get me started on that creepy Andrew Sullivan obsessing on the TRUE birth mother of Melia...My gosh, have some people no shame?!?!

Or asking questions of Michelle like, "Has she had breast implants?"

When all we got of Palin of hagiographies concerning her sense of style, how she was another "Jackie O". In NONE of those articles did anyone discuss the COST of Palin's clothes, and the time she showed up in the $500-plus sneakers, and the Press SAID NOTHING!

It shameful the double standard when it ocmes to Michelle and Palin...

Well when you look at the economic prosperity from the 80s onward I'd say yes, it worked out quite well.

What else you have?

Give me an example. How much have your federal taxes gone up since Obama was elected? Give me a solid number, you must know otherwise you wouldn't be stating it as fact.

I don't believe he stated it as a fact but rather as an inevitability since all the Dems can talk about is more spending. Where does the money come from garage? Is Obama plan on just borrowing forever? Is the Treasury going to print more money? Obviously we can't borrow forever so that means taxes will go up.

Remember the IRS stats I posted some time ago proving that half the earners don't pay taxes yet you seem to think only the rich get tax cuts. Well since they pay the lion's share it does stand to reason they would be the first to benefit from a tax cut no?

Which leads backs to thomas's question, what is it about confiscitory taxes do you like?

It is a simple question garage. Not even as complex as our 2nd Amendment rights.

Garage: The majority of media went into attack mode w/r/t Palin from the git-go.

Compared to what though? I don't see it. Blogs sure, but again nothing more than what blogs are saying Obama or Democrats, and blogs are not the MSM. The MSM has given her a complete pass in my view, what was the toughest or most unfair question asked to her? What newspapers do you read? What is the Bush Doctrine? She launches bombs almost every day and she never has to answer to any of it. It's all a bunch of hooey.

If people are going to bitch about a whole institution, lock, stock and barrel, then they'd better be willing to come up with an alternative and get some skin into that game. Including all the boring details and implications.

As a Boomer I recall the rise of the crusading/investigative journalist, speaking truth to power, most specifically in the Vietnam War and Watergate. For me those stories solidified the perception of journalist's dogged pursuit of truth. Somehow the "power" part of that equation melded into an image of "big badness" (i.e the Big, Bad corporation; the Big Bad, conspiring Government) It was probably an easy transition to see the Republicans/Conservative (the Party of "Nixon", the party of business) as the "power" that needed some truth speaking.

In the meantime the X'ers grew up on news not as newspaper or nightly news but as network (CNN), as entertainment (60 minutes) and as spectator sport (The McLaughlin Report and its descendants). Out of this came journalist as opinion-maker. Truth now had an ideology, or more precisely a party.

When I think of Klein gathering journalists but limiting the group to those left of center, my knee jerk response is What a minute! How the hell did ideology get into this mix? Is one side the owner of "truth"? Is the "other" side the sole possessor of "power"?

Its funny, from my Boomer mentality I get the creeps when I see the Obama administration create a pseudo-newsy website, when I see and hear a fawning press. It feels like propaganda and that what Power does.

Reader, the new model is already developing. And the new boss will be the same as the old boss. The days of the purely partisan press with the likes of James Callendar are returning. The pretense of objective and fairness are being swept away by the behavior of lying sacks of shit like Helen Thomas, Ezra Klien and Joe McGinnis.

I can deal with that model. But what no one wants to address is who's going to do the nitty-gritty work (required regardless of into what POV publication--here, I'm using that word loosely, meaning not just dead-tree print--into which that work/info is plugged)? People say citizen journalists (including bloggers) will do that. However, what I see is it's the very notable exception when that occurs. Mostly it's piggybacking.

Someone has to do the actual transcripts. Someone has to actually go to the local zoning board meetings or relevant meetings in DC or whatever. How much do I have to spell this out for people?

I know we're in a "post-" world, Trooper. I'm not stupid, and in fact it's highly likely (no offense intended) that I saw it coming well before you. But there are major holes yet to be addressed in the so-called new model (with it's actually new or, as you referred to, a return to the past). The devil is in the details, which I simply don't think most people cheering the demise of the old model want to pay much attention to--especially if it requires them to rethink there own role and to step up.

Reader, as someone who lived in the anthill you give a lot more importance to the working of the ants than someone looking through the glass. I venture to say that 90% of Americans don't care about newspapers and news mags and blogs and would barely notice if they were gone tomorrow. Journalism is the stuff of whores and the only problem is that too many of them are trying to tell us they are massage therapists.

Infortainment is where the cookie crumbles. Jon Stewart, Rush, and Saturday Night Live are the opinion makers if you want to know the truth.

I was riding the LIRR on Sunday and these two couples where sitting next to us talking about one couples recent trip to Alaska. Good little liberals that they were they dicussed every meme from SNL up to and including that you couldn't see Russia from Wasilia. The factual content of their discussion was nil/nil like one of those fucking boring soccer games. They were the typical suburban voter, at least in the wealthy part of LI.

The only way to reach them is if you could get Jill Zarin to make a speech.

The information will be out there used for partisan purposes. Just as it ever was.

You must realize that only people with a dog in the hunt will participate. Most people don't care. That's why we are in the mess we are in today despite the vaunted "information" gatered by the mainstream media. The facts don't matter. Only when it bites people in the ass will they want to take action. It's happening in New Jersey. It is on the way in California. Oxes are getting gored pretty badly.

@garage: Nobody in the MSM has ever dug into Sarah Palin's life that I'm aware of

Never dug into her private life? Are you out of your gourd? They've done nothing but that for two years. You think the 300 reporters who spent September 2008 going through every dumpster in Wasilla were there for public policy town halls?

she's never has done a live Q&A

Actually she's done quite a few more than Obama in the last year, while on her book tour or giving speeches. But they have been with local media instead of the JournoList echo chamber.

Perhaps if your head weren't all the way up the ass of the national media, which is to say JournoList, you wouldn't have made such a spectacular display of your ignorance in front of everyone here.

Well I notice my longer rant came in the middle of the Garage back and forth. Now that I've read the whole string (and not trying to pile on):

Nope, lets not let the MSM actually delve into who Obama is, what his qualifications are to lead the country, instead lets focus everything on Sarah Palin and whether or not she actually gave birth to Trig.

Nobody in the MSM has ever dug into Sarah Palin's life that I'm aware of. She doesn't do interviews outside FOX, and those can hardly be called interviews,

So are you looking for "delving" or interviews. When I first read your statement I thought "Huh!?". There has certainly been much written by the MSM re: ex-Gov Palin. And yes she did interviews with results that delighted (presumably)those on the left. I know more about her than I do the last three failed VP candidates. (and I'm not a Palin fan)

I suspect what you're saying is that if we had "more info" and/or more interviews we'd see her the way you see her. I know it drives some/many folks crazy that she is liked and, dare I say it, respected by many. But there it is.

And every tweet, Facebook post, every "hand writing" episode oddly reinforces convictions on both "sides"

And I don't mean to imply you actually have principles because we all know you would only apply this rule to people you hate (most of America)

You are on to something here. I do hate a pretty broad swath of the Left, as they have long hated me, and I have decided that rules and civility are for chumps, as the Left has long believed and practiced. I may be sinking to your level but I no longer care. It's all Alinsky all the time now, and I want to smash the Left and make it suffer by any means necessary. I want to take this county back to about 1908 levels of government, and smash to little tiny pieces anyone who stands in the way. I hope careers are ruined by the exposure of JournoList, and more besides. These are people who would enslave us to the failed ideologies of Marxism, the fruit of which is mountains of human skulls, and no punishment for them or aggression against them is too harsh.

I never duck threads, I did have an appt however. I read your 5, or 4 links. Aside from the hideously stupid Sally Quinn, I just don't think you have a strong case. Maybe we should have agreed to "compared to who/shat". Especially when you never pointed to what you thought was objectionable. Anyway I appreciate the sourcing, at least.

You asked for evidence of the MSM getting into Palin's personal life, I provided you with 4 examples from the first MSM outlet that came to mind. I could even keep going and the sad thing is - you know it.

Do you think the WaPo was the only media outlet doing that bullshit? If you do, you shouldn't even consider yourself remotely informed about political issues.

Tell ya what champ, if you're that fucking clueless, since you never duck threads, you just give me the green light, and I'll put some learnin' to ya, since you fail miserably at this internet thing.

Sarah Palin's email account was hacked, and the private emails were leaked and written about by (among others) Andrew Sullivan, who is currently hyperventilating about Breitbart offering $100,000 for the Journolist emails.

You asked for evidence of the MSM getting into Palin's personal life, I provided you with 4 examples from the first MSM outlet that came to mind. I could even keep going and the sad thing is - you know it.

First off, a big FUCK YOU to AC245. Had to get that out of the way.

As to Gmay, I've never read any of those links, then again I never ready the WaPo or NYT unless it's linked to, and I'll give him one of those links. I like Gmay and I'm certain we could hammer out our differences over beers pretty easily in person, much like my inner circle of friends who are rock solid conservatives.

To recap, I admit Gmay landed a definite flesh wound with the sally Quinn piece. Although I probably could have found something dumber about the other ticket.

P.S. AC245-

If you weren't such an unbearable, overbearing asshole 100% of the time, and we're willing to try giving and taking just once, once, we could probably be friends too.

I would think a law professor might have a better grasp of this. But on what grounds would you seek the archives? To borrow a popular argument of the right, where in the Constitution does it say you have the right to know what others are saying about you, especially when you have no proof they are saying anything defamatory about you.

Palin's church can't be any weirder than Obama's, and if she is a Pat Buchanan Republican I feel safer. He is about the only sane Republican I've heard these past 8 years. An truthfully I thought Buchanan's joke about Washington D.C. being "Israeli occupied territory" years ago friggin hilarious, with some truth behind it. But, I'm in the minority of liberals who like Buchanan.9/3/08 7:20 PM

garage mahal said...Better us than bitter and miserable fucksticks like you that call for spilled blood over health care bill votes. Or your racist asshole teabagger bretheren that call people n*ggers and spit on them on their way to a vote. Real darlings, you all. In truth, people like you would love nothing more than putting your boot on someones neck. That's why you always think someone else is trying to do it to you.3/21/10 10:41 PM)

I’ve been looking back a bit at what’s archived in my inbox and what you see lately is an effort to organize a happy hour in Dave Weigel honor, many threads about World Cup matches, Wimbledon matches, NBA Finals games, etc., and mostly a lot of what amounts to self-promotion. People sending out links to articles they’ve published or talks they’ve given, sometimes followed by a reply or two. We had a thread in which people speculated as to where Peter Orszag will end up when he leaves the White House. This is the sort of thing that journalists like to talk about, but don’t like to write about in public, because it’s unprofessional to publish baseless speculation.

People interested in hearing an insiders account, instead of Althouse imaginings, might want to read this article:

Alternately, "people interested" could ask to see the archive and read it for themselves. They could, if they were interested enough, even offer money!

Since it's just an above-board forum for innocuous, non-collusive, high-level policy discussion, what could be the harm?

Hell, if I was in a chat group that did nothing but discuss sports and organize happy hours as Chait claims, I'd jump at the chance to sell it to someone foolish enough to offer $100,000 for it - and I'd jump twice as fast if the foolish buyer was someone whom I hated and who would be politically embarrassed by the actual mundane nature of the contents of the archive.

(Plus, after I took his money, I'd release the archive myself so that everyone else could see what a paranoid liar he was!)

(And for those people who might be fooled by GasRage's "I just wanted to be friends but you were so mean to me!" tripe:

It just must pain you to realize Pat Buchanan called Palin a "Brigader for me in 1996, as were her husband" , eh? Nah, you don't care. You're a miserable basement-dwelling loser nobody could be near around for more than 5 minutes with your incessant whining.

"They were at a fundraiser for me," Buchanan said of Palin and her husband. He called her a "terrific gal" and a "rebel reformer."

"Pat Buchanan brought his conservative message of a smaller government and an America First foreign policy to Fairbanks and Wasilla on Friday as he continued a campaign swing through Alaska….In Wasilla, Buchanan took some shots at the "Republican establishment," saying it was willing to cast aside conservative ideals in a zeal to ensure the nomination for Bush. 'I'm hoping the people of Alaska will disagree that we need a candidate anointed by Washington, D.C.,' he said to a group of three dozen supporters. Among those sporting Buchanan buttons were Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin and state Sen. Jerry Ward, R-Anchorage.".

It just must pain you to realize Pat Buchanan called Palin a "Brigader for me in 1996, as were her husband" , eh? Nah, you don't care. You're a miserable basement-dwelling loser nobody could be near around for more than 5 minutes with your incessant whining.

GasRage, every. single. time. you trot out these lies they get thrown back in your face. No one believes these delusional claims anymore except for you and your idol Pat Buchanan.

But hell, who am I to turn down yet another opportunity to point out that you're a duplicitous, lying, little shit?

Politico:"Palin's name doesn't appear as a "brigader" — as Buchanan described her — or in any other capacity.So far, it's just Buchanan's word on her role, then. The campaign didn't have an immediate comment."

Politico:"Gov. Palin has never worked for any effort to elect Pat Buchanan — that assertion is completely false. As Mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin did attend an event with Mr. Buchanan in her hometown, where reports described her wearing a Buchanan for President button. She wore the button as a courtesy to Mr. Buchanan, and in an effort to make him feel welcome during his visit, but immediately sent a letter to the editor of her local paper clarifying that the button should not have been interpreted as an endorsement of any kind."

Politico:I also spoke to Bay Buchanan, Pat's sister, this morning. She also said her only knowledge of Palin's contact with Buchanan was at the event in the '90s, which she described as a fundraiser for Alaska Republican Jerry Ward. Ward couldn't immediately be reached.

Politico is not the only place that refuted you and your boy Pat's bullshit, GasRage. But since they're the site you quoted your accusation from, it made sense to quote them for the rebuttal so you wouldn't whine about the source.

But hey, we can find refutation of your lies elsewhere, too:

ABC:"Palin wrote to the AP that her presence at the rally and her wearing a Buchanan button were merely ways to welcome Buchanan to Wasilla, not endorsements of his candidacy. "

And indeed, another AP story from August 7, 1999 -- one month after the Buchanan trip to Wasilla -- states that joining state sen. Mike Miller of Fairbanks on the Forbes campaign's Alaska "leadership committee will be Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin, and former state GOP chairman Pete Hallgren, who will serve as co-chairs"

(As a bonus, that ABC story also contains some commentary from Rep. Bob Wexler, D-Florida, on "The Only Sane Republican" whose anti-semitic views you admire and share, GasRage:

"Pat Buchanan is a Nazi sympathizer with a uniquely atrocious record on Israel, even going as far as to denounce bringing former Nazi soldiers to justice and praising Adolf Hitler for his 'great courage.'")

There are plenty of additional sources who reported on the dishonesty and inaccuracy of your idol's claims - many of which also include some commentary on his well-known anti-semitic views. Let me know if you want me to continue embarrassing you by posting more of them.

Politifact:Palin wasn't in Buchanan's Brigade So the question is this: Did Palin support Buchanan in 2000?

No. Shortly after Buchanan's visit to Wasilla, and after the AP story, Palin wrote a letter to her local newspaper making clear that her appearance at the Buchanan event wasn't an endorsement of his candidacy. Published July 26, 1999, the letter said:

"As mayor of Wasilla, I am proud to welcome all presidential candidates to our city. This is true regardless of their party, or the latest odds of their winning. When presidential candidates visit our community, I am always happy to meet them. I'll even put on their button when handed one as a polite gesture of respect.

"Though no reporter interviewed me for the Associated Press article on the recent visit by a presidential candidate (Metro, July 17), the article may have left your readers with the perception that I am endorsing this candidate, as opposed to welcoming his visit to Wasilla. As mayor, I will welcome all the candidates in Wasilla."

But on Sept. 3, Buchanan told PolitiFact in St. Paul, Minn., that while he knew Palin attended his rally in Wasilla because of press accounts, he did not know if she actually supported him as a candidate in 2000 or previous campaigns. "I can't confirm anything,'' he said.